"Move!" Akira yelled.

They scattered. Lukas went left, while Melody and Akira went right, all three of them clearing the path as the vehicle blurred through the space they had been standing in.

The driver’s window was down.

"Get out of the road, you fucks!" the Adept inside shouted, not slowing.

The car hit the ramp at the far end of the garage and roared upwards, the engine noise fading as it climbed up to street level.

Akira stared after it, swearing loudly.

Lukas, who had rolled to the side, dusted off his sleeve as he stood, chuckling. "We should probably not stand in traffic lanes."

"Noted," Melody said.

Akira still had a furious look on her face, but even she agreed.

They made their way out of the garage through the pedestrian exit, emerging onto the street beside the white building.

The sky had shifted while they were underground, and dusk had settled over Salaria.

The natural light of the sky had reduced to a faint orange line at the edges of the towers, and the street lamps had already activated, illuminating the darkening streets.

Lukas retrieved the map from his spatial ring, unfolding it. "Where are we going next?"

"We should find Morgana," Akira said immediately.

"I think we should find somewhere to sleep," Melody said.

"And if we find Morgana first, we get a place to sleep." Akira folded her arms under her breasts.

"What if finding us somewhere to sleep takes hours? It’s better for us to go tomorrow, when we’re fresh. We need to sleep now. We’ve been traveling for three days."

"We’re Adepts. We don’t need—"

"We need sleep," Melody said firmly. "Morgana can wait until morning."

Akira grinned, showing she’d just been arguing for the fun of it. "Fine. We’ll sleep first."

Lukas scanned the map, found a hotel within reasonable walking distance, and pointed. "This way."

After a few minutes of walking, they found the hotel at the end of a well-lit street.

Parked right in front of the hotel were several expensive vehicles that were definitely from luxury brands.

Akira whistled as she stared at the cars, then at the hotel entrance, then at Lukas. "Sleeping here is definitely going to cost us."

"It’s just one night," Melody said.

"Famous last words."

It did cost them. The room rate was the kind of number that required a moment of composure before accepting it.

Lukas accepted it without visible reaction, paid, and they took the room. After all, they had the money.

They had dinner in the hotel restaurant, which was a place that looked like it served people from the upper crust of Salaria.

Their food cost enough that Lukas knew only the rich could afford eating here regularly. However, he’d already laid his bed, so he had to lie on it.

They paid, before eating, none of them speaking much. When they were done, they made their way upstairs.

The room was large and the beds were better than anything they’d slept on since leaving Havenhart.

Akira was asleep before Lukas had even finished changing.

Melody lasted slightly longer.

Lukas laid there in the dark for a few minutes, listening to the silence of the room, before he fell asleep.

After hours of sleep, they woke up the next morning.

The sun streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the room.

Lukas laid there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. He’d slept so well, he was already regretting waking up.

"That," Akira said from her side of the bed, "was the best sleep I’ve had in months."

"Me too," Melody said, yawning. She was already sitting up, looking like she was sad to wake up. "What is the brand of this bed? I need to know so I can buy one for myself."

"You’re going to buy the mattress?" Lukas asked, a smile already on his face.

"I’m absolutely going to buy the mattress."

After a few minutes of laying on the bed, along with trying and failing to fall asleep again, they got out of bed.

They took their baths in sequence, dressed, and made their way downstairs to check out.

The receptionist behind the desk was an S-rank Awakener, a young man with a blank expression on his face.

His eyes moved to Lukas as they approached the desk, then eyed the two women on either side of him. His eyes shone with amusement as he processed their checkout, thanking them and wishing for their return.

Lukas gave him a nod, and they made their way outside.

There was already growing traffic on the street, and the street lamps were still on despite the growing light.

"So...," Lukas stared around the street, "breakfast."

"We’re definitely not eating at the hotel restaurant," Akira said.

"Of course," Lukas said. "Let’s find somewhere less expensive."

They walked until they found a breakfast place that appeared to be reasonably priced.

They entered, making their way to the counter, where they ordered. Akira and Melody left to sit at a table, leaving Lukas to pay.

He reached for his money pouch and began counting out the coins.

The cashier stared strangely at him before speaking. "You can pay by card."

Lukas paused. "You guys have cards here?"

The cashier stared at him in confusion. "Don’t you have a bank account?"

"I don’t," he said. "I’m new here."

"Oh."

"The hotel accepted our coins. Can’t we pay with coins here?"

"You can, but bank cards make things easier here in Salaria. The hotel staff probably didn’t say anything because some rich people like paying in coins."

"I see." He nodded. Then he counted out the coins. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The cashier accepted them without further comment, and he returned to the table.

"We need bank accounts," he said as he sat down.

"Why should we put our money in the bank?" Akira asked. "How would we spend it?"

"They have bank cards here. Instead of carrying coins everywhere and paying in currency, you open an account, deposit your money, and pay directly from the balance. The amount removes itself automatically." He explained. "It’s more secure than carrying a money pouch, and apparently the standard here."

"Wow." Akira leaned back, genuinely impressed. "That’s actually very sensible."

"It is," Melody agreed. "We should do that today."

"Before or after meeting Morgana?" Lukas asked.

"After." His wives said in unison.

After chuckling, their food arrived. They dug in, enjoying their meal. It wasn’t as tasty as the hotel food, but it was definitely delicious.

When they were done, Melody finally spoke, saying what was on all their minds.

"Morgana," she said. "Where do we actually go to find her?"

***

A/N: Congratulations on hitting 500 golden tickets! This means I owe you guys 5 bonus Chapters. Would you like to wait till next month to get it, or sometime next week?